Weber State vs Saint Mary’s Prediction & Picks: Will Mahaney and the Gaels Roll Against the Wildcats?

Two mid-major stars will be on display this evening in Moraga, California as Dillon Jones and Weber State visit Aidan Mahaney and Saint Mary's (8:00 pm ET, ESPN+).

The Wildcats (1-0), who are looking for their first March Madness bid since 2016, topped the Big Sky's preseason media and coaches' polls, taking nine of ten first-place votes in the coaches' poll and 33 of 35 first-place votes in the media poll.

Jones, who averaged 16.7 PPG, 10.9 RPG, and 3.8 APG last season, was a unanimous pick for Big Sky MVP, and guard Steven Verplancken, who averaged 13.2 PPG and shot 41.7% from three, joined him as a preseason all-conference selection.

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Can Jones and Verplancken help Weber State challenge Saint Mary's? The Gaels, who are currently ranked 23rd in both major college basketball polls, are coming off of a 72-58 win over New Mexico.

Leading the way in that win, as will be the case in many of their wins this season, was sophomore sensation Aidan Mahaney, who poured in 25 points in the win.

Mahaney was one of three Gaels to be named to the West Coast Conference's preseason all-conference team, with Alex Ducas (12.5 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 41.4% 3PT last season) and Mitchell Saxen (11.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.2 BPG) the others.

Weber State vs Saint Mary's Odds

Odds are courtesy of Bovada.

Spread

• Weber State +16.5 (-110)
• Saint Mary's -16.5 (-110)

Over/Under

• Over 130.5 (-110)
• Under 130.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Weber State +950
• Saint Mary's -2000

Weber State vs Saint Mary's Prediction and Picks

Prediction: Saint Mary's to win

Picks: Weber State +16.5 (-110 at Bovada) & Weber State over 56.5 (-115 at Bovada)

Tougher tests are ahead for the Gaels, who have San Diego State and potentially Xavier in the Continental Tire Main Event next weekend.

That said, they need not look past the Wildcats, who won at Utah State last season and return five of their top six scorers from that squad.

That kind of experience and cohesion can be a big positive in early games like this, as they have less to figure out than teams that have a new coach or have had significant roster turnover.

Do I think that they can make a serious upset bid? I won't go that far. I fully expect Saint Mary's to get it done, and a double-digit win is likely. But this is a fairly sizable spread, and I think that an experienced Weber State team can do enough to cover it.

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